– The stylus, which Samsung calls the S Pen, has a lot of functionality. It does appear that there is a bit of a learning curve if you want to get the most use out of it. That’s not a bad thing. It is, however, a bit different from what some consumers expect.

– Two surprise guests were on hand: filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and designer Zac Posen. In separate promotional videos, each showed how they used the Galaxy Note 10.1 in their work. Being able to draw directly on a screen and share it with others certainly helped back up Samsung’s declaration that the new Note is about “content creation” rather than “content consumption.”

– Luhrmann added that the only problem he had with the device was getting it back from his kids. This makes sense. Kids like to draw, and they are taught handwriting in school. Guess what almost every device, tablet or phone, doesn’t have these days? A system that allows for input via a stylus, or as we oldsters call it, a pen. The new Note has handwriting recognition and even recognized my handwriting, which doctors have been known to mock mercilessly.

– The Note not only has a stylus, the S Pen, it’s a super-fancy stylus with over 1,000 levels of sensitivity, according to company reps at the event. The Note always has a feature called “Palm Rejection”, which means that if you accidentally rest your hand on the screen while writing it will be, well, rejected. No digital smudges due to your wandering digits. Cool.

(Aside: We haven’t decided yet if we’re willing to allow our own kids to get near the review unit we received. Because it has to be returned. Preferably not sticky.)

More on the Galaxy Note 10.1 soon. If you’ve already decide to buy one, you can do so starting August 16, or August 15 (today) at the Best Buy in Union Square.